Law wants batsmen to step up in second Test

Head coach Stuart Law (left) chats with wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich during a training session on Thursday (Photo courtesy CWI Media)

HAMILTON, New Zealand, CMC – West Indies head coach Stuart Law has urged his batsmen to convert their solid starts into major scores when they face New Zealand in the second Test match at Seddon Park starting Saturday [tonight Caribbean time].

The Australian also called on his bowlers become more aggressive towards the Black Caps batsmen, as the Windies looked to bounce back from their innings defeat in the opening Test at the Basin Reserve at Wellington.

“Batting … we can get 40s and 60s, but they don’t win you games – 140s and 160s is where you want to be,” Law told reporters on Thursday.

“We saw it in the famous win in Leeds. Kraigg scored a century and followed up in the second innings with a 90, then Shai got two centuries and the result was a great win. That’s what we’re talking about in the dressing room.

“Our bowling … I’d like to see us being a little more aggressive – we have some good pace, we have some quality swing and seam bowling. So we know what we have to do and how to do it.”

West Indies struggled in the first Test, dismissed for a paltry 134 in their first innings before watching as the Black Caps piled up a massive 520 for nine declared, to take a significant 386-run lead.

The Caribbean side shaped up better in the second innings, reaching 214 for two at the end of the third day before collapsing on the fourth day to lose by an innings and 67 runs an hour after lunch.

Law said, however, he had seen enough signs of progress in the second innings at Wellington to demonstrate his team would not be pushovers in the upcoming match.

He was speaking specifically about the way the batsmen handled he awkward bounce of left-arm seamer Neil Wagner, who grabbed seven wickets in the first innings.

“I think we combated him very well in the second innings. He bowled the same sort of stuff and he was going at 10, 11 runs an over there at one stage,” Law pointed out.

“We sat down and worked out a plan which wasn’t the same plan for everybody. It was an individual plan – some guys are comfortable taking it on, some guys aren’t quite as comfortable.

“But I think what we did in the second innings showed that we can learn quickly and learn on our feet.”

He added: “It’s not so much go out there and take him down; it’s be aggressive in your mindset, be clear in your mindset and execute properly.”